Spiritual Economics

Economic Reality in Plain Words

Recently I checked out the radio interviews on the show "Guns and Butter", broadcast on radio station KPFA in Berkeley. "Guns & Butter" investigates the relationships among capitalism, militarism and politics. Maintaining a radical perspective in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, "Guns & Butter: The Economics of Politics" reports on who wins and who loses when the economic resources of civil society are diverted toward global corporatization, war, and the furtherance of a national security state. 

There are several recent programs in which very qualified economics professors explain in very ordinary language what is going on in the world, how the economic powers are basically stealing the resources of the entire earth in ways that no armies of the past could possibly do, how those economic powers are in competition with each other to see who will get the biggest share. 

One of these interviews is with economics Professor Michel Chossudovsky, whom I quote extensively in my Spiritual Economics book. This show is "At the Crossroads of the Most Serious Economic Crisis in World History". 

Described on the KPFA website thus: History of the financial crisis from the early 1980s to the present; economic dimensions of the global crisis; naked short selling; market manipulation; speculative activity; derivatives; solutions to the crisis the cause of further collapse; privatization; government policies; bankruptcies; debt and social breakdown; grassroots organizing; Occupy Wall Street; Ad Busters; CANVAS-OTPOR; Anonymous. 

Don't worry, you don't need to know all this economic jargon to understand his urgent message. He makes it all quite simple, and shocking. When we realize the truth of what is going on in this world we can only be shocked and very concerned. Also for more of the real story of what's going on in the world, check out Professor Chossudovsky's great website: www.globalresearch.ca 

The next program that I wish to call your attention to is highlights from the Modern Money Theory Summit held in Rimini, Italy. Italy was chosen as the venue for this conference due of course to the fact that the people of Italy, like Greeks, Spaniards, Irish, Portuguese, and soon the Americans, are being held hostage to pay the so-called debts of the politicians and bankers. Actually the "debts" have been engineered to create the rape of the people and resources of these countries. 


The show is "There IS An Alternative To European Austerity". There economic Professors Stephanie Kelton and Michael Hudson from Univ. of Missouri, explain the reasons why austerity measures are being imposed and that they are totally unnecessary. IF the governments of the world would take back their prerogative of issuing currency that they have abdicated to private bankers ALL of these problems can be dealt with without any austerity at all. In fact there can be full employment and a great economy, if it were wanted. But that is not the plan.

This program is also shocking to those who accept the main stream media's explanation of the problems, because the truth that is being laid out is both simple to understand and simple to implement -- if only the governments would. The fact that they do not underscores the fact that the agents of government no longer act for the good of the people, but have become the lackeys of those who desire nothing less than to own the entire world. 

The Srimad Bhagavatam tells the story of one such fool from long ago in history, by the name of Hiranya-kasipu. Hiranya translates as "gold" and kasipu as "bed", so we can understand by his name what his end goals were.

Hiraṇyakaśipu wanted to become immortal and own everything. He wanted not to be conquered by anyone, not to be attacked by old age and disease, and not to be harassed by any opponent. Thus he wanted to become the absolute ruler of the entire universe. As a result of his austerities he was granted many benedictions by Brahma, the lord of the universe. Hiranyakasipu then used those benedictions to enslave everyone and exploit them, the same thing that the modern Hiranyakasipus are doing. 

Hiranyakasipu did own everything some time, but, as with everything in this material world, that came to an end with his death. The entire episode is told in the seventh canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam, and it can be read online here.

Hiranyakasipu was vanquished by Lord Nrisimhadeva, an amazing half-man half-lion incarnation of the Supreme Lord. Similarly the modern Hiranyakasipus are so powerful that they think their control complete. there is no material means to vanquish them. But, the Supreme Lord, as the maintainer of this world, is still up to the task and He will certainly rectify the situation of this world if He is asked to do so. The method used to invoke the presence of the Supreme Lord in this age is the chanting of His holy names. He is completely present in His name, and as such if enough people will call on Him the present, seemingly hopeless circumstances can be rectified. As we have stated before, there is NO SOLUTION WITHOUT A SPIRITUAL REVOLUTION! 


Therefore, do your part to save the world by incessantly chanting these holy names of the Lord: 

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, 
Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, 
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, 
Rama Rama, Hare Hare

(A transcript of the interview with Stephanie Kelton and Michael Hudson is available here).